Portadown Orangemen have invited the Parades Commission Chairman,
Tony Holland, to engage with them at Drumcree on Sunday (7
July).
Mr Holland has been asked to accept a letter protesting at
the Commission’s decision for the fifth year running
to ban Orangemen from walking home from their Annual Church
Service along the Garvaghy Road.
Commenting on the invitation which was faxed and posted to
the Parades Commission’s offices this afternoon (4 July),
David Burrows, the Orange Order’s Deputy District Master
in Portadown, said: “Mr Holland is always promoting the
benefits of talking face-to-face and his desire to meet with
us. If he comes along to the police barrier on Sunday he’ll
get his chance to do just that”.
Apart from accepting the Orangemen’s letter of protest,
Mr Burrows said the occasion would provide Mr Holland with
an ideal opportunity to witness at first hand the effects
of the Commission’s negative determination on the Drumcree
Parade, the scale of the security operation required to enforce
it, and the severe impact on community relations resulting
from it.
Mr Burrows continued: “We would like him to see for
himself the hurt and the harm that arises when one community
decides to “own” a public road. Everyone was shocked
when the Roman Catholic children from Holy Cross in North
Belfast were unable to walk to school along a road others
had deemed to be Protestant. Here in Portadown, Protestants
are being prevented from returning from church along what
others have designated a nationalist road. In both cases it’s
a form of apartheid”
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